Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Over the past two years, during the pandemic, there was a global gardening boom as people were more confined to their homes, allowing plants, flowers, herbs and vegetables to blossom in gardens, on windowsills and around apartment balconies.
According to the Urban Forestry & Urban Greening Journal, ‘gardening was almost universally described as a way to either relax, socialise, connect with nature or stay active’.
The Bahrain Garden Club is well aware of its benefits and has been opening its doors to plant lovers since 1964. The club was established by a group of passionate local and expatriate gardeners wanting to raise awareness about agriculture and provide a platform for exchanging knowledge on horticultural matters.
“The Bahrain Garden Club is a reliable place for all gardeners and garden lovers to build and share their experiences, learn and exchange their knowledge and safeguard the practice of sustainable horticulture for the benefit of future generations and the environment,” said Irina Averinos, the club’s board member, treasurer, English media co-ordinator and club’s newsletter editor.
“We’re very grateful and proud for our patron His Majesty King Hamad for his endless support and for the support of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka, the wife of the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women.
“We are also delighted to collaborate with The National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD) and Her Excellency Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, the Secretary-General of NIAD in different green initiatives and events such as the Bahrain International Garden Show.”
The Bahrain Garden Club season is now in full bloom and ready to help grow the gardeners of today and tomorrow with educational workshops and competitions for young and old alike to learn about about the kingdom’s horticulture industry, as well as creating sustainable, green gardens in the desert.
“We have weekly activities and lectures to educate gardeners in having healthy sustainable and green gardens which can produce local fruit and vegetables, as well as attract pollinators to improve the harvest,” said Irina. “Activities and workshops also depend on the gardening season from preparing soil for planting to preserving fruit, vegetables and herbs, as well as pruning, propagation, collecting seeds, making your own compost, using modern gardening methods or taking care of indoor plants.”
The monthly activities consist of visits to different local farms, plant nurseries or gathering together for breakfast and cooking demonstrations with professional chefs.
There are different garden competitions for adult members to participate in such as creating experimental gardens, garden photography, floral arrangements and more.
There are activities for youngsters as well.
“Usually all competitions start in the beginning of February before the Bahrain International Garden Show with registration in November,” added Irina. “School competitions change annually according to pressing issues on the global stage of horticulture and environment.
“We have individual student competitions for different ages such as floral arrangements, miniature gardens, fruit baskets, garden photography and school garden competitions.”
Members have also collaborated with Riffa Views management in the past to launch the Art in the Garden competition for government and private schools in Bahrain.
“It was a big success and a pleasure to see school gardens developed by students and their teachers with artistic object and mosaics as well as bird’s baths and feeders that added bright happy colours to gardens,” organisers added.
This season’s educational programmes will concentrate on workshops in many aspects of gardening for club members, the community and students with a spotlight on recycling and sustainable gardening.
At the Bahrain International Garden Show in February 2023, they will be staging the 58th Annual Flower and Vegetable Garden Show that they organise alongside NIAD. The club also hopes to nurture experts in the field of horticulture.
“We are working on setting up a training centre for career base qualification and vocational training in horticulture; encouraging amateur gardeners to turn their hobby into micro businesses in horticulture,”added Irina.
“Our visions and missions for the club will always be a learning place for all things related to gardening which is why we support and arrange educational school programmes and workshops to promote green living.”
For details on competitions, workshops and membership, visit www.bahraingardenclub.com and @bahrain.garden.club on Instagram.
